I personally don't think they look very good, but I don't think that 'women' have a monolithic view on that many things, including mens' pants.

Also, there is the possibility that at least some of these men don't really give a fig what a random woman wants them to dress like.

The legal issue sounds somewhat ludicrous until you remember that it is legal for men to walk around topless, but not for women, so the idea of policing clothing is already inconsistently handled. I don't think either should be illegal – tops or bottoms.

Aaaargh! I hate this, & it's everywhere!! I am CONSTANTLY having to say to my 14yr old nephew "please pull your pants up!" The 'bottom' line is, every woman I know thinks this looks r.i.d.i.c.u.l.o.u.s! (Thanks so much for highlighting the….issue!)

I live in London and see these guys all the time. In the context of The Sartorialist, it's almost possible to convince oneself that he has an element of style. When you see them (trying to) walk like this everyday, it's just laughable.

Agreed, each should be able to choose how to dress – what their style is. I guess, though in the case of business owners, they have the right to allow/disallow inappropriate dress. This would fall under that – who wants to see all of that? Not sexy, not cute, not even stylish!!

I'm a high school student and kids are constantly being being suspended for too many pants infractions.

I agree with my english teacher, who said that since girls have to have their skirts no more than 4 inches above their knee (school rule), guys should not be able to have their pants any more than 4 inches below their crouch. Dont ask how she would test this.

no, no, no! Women, other men, children, animals, you name it NO ONE in their right mind wants to be seen out with anyone who thinks it's a good look/sexy/ socially acceptable to go out in public with this much saggy, greying boxer clad ass out. X

It is for me a quite disgusting mixture of "fashion" and personality emanation via using clothes. Someone who does it this way is just for me a man, with whom a woman can't feel well and MAINLY not because of wardrobe but because of what it portraits about the user.

I'm a 51year old blk man that has worn an afro, platform shoes,cornrows, locks and stuff from Unique clothing warehouse…so I get the style thing. But to me it is style overload it's like the Liberace of the hip hop genre..I think that it's just poor taste…but someone may make the same claim about women's tight jeans and cleavage (which I happen to be smitten by, but that's just me…I'm just sayin')…or seersucker, baseball caps worn backwards or any other personal expression of style.

So having said all that I don't think legal sanction is legal…so we may just have to wait for this to pass. God's speed.

What really amuses me is that most of the "boys" who wear their pants this way seem unaware of the origins of this tradition. This style is meant to be an act of solidarity with and a show of support for the men who are incarcerated who have their belts taken from them, leaving their pants sagging. For some it might be a political statement, but not for most. Definitely calls for some fashion policing!

I don't get why people are so angry about this. Not like his actual butt skin is sticking out. I am not sure how this is much worse then a girl wearing hot pants. Maybe we should all walk around in robes so we don't see any unsightly bulges? At least lets go after speedos first.

Wearing one's pants in such a manner does not extract the visceral quality that one usually experiences through form-fitting clothing. Sagged pants shorten the legs, increase the length of the torso, and thus, he gains the posture and stature of a hobbit. Here, silhouette and aesthetic are ignored in attempts to exert manhood; which, through an ensemble created out of laziness and through the trite emulation of violent societal figures, he finds a sense of primal masculinity?

Let's not forget Halle Berry at the MTV Movie Awards…there was no police officer giving her a ticket for having her thong hanging out! It looks totally ridiculous whether it's a man or a woman but it's an individuals decision how much respect they earn walking out of the house!

While I'm totally against this, I realize the chasm between "what a person's individual rights are opposed to what 'society' considers ' "ugh!" ' These men/boys leave someone's home everyday, therefore that's where the conversation should begin! Society has allowed so many other detrimental behaviors, so I guess these individauls see what society's 'well-dressed' individuals do that's inappropriate and feel that they can express themselves in any way they see fit just the same. Hmm… Hmm…-Leonard/Philly

as much as i HATE this look, i still don't see why legal actions should be taken – unless it's some kind of comedy we are living in… oops sorry, forgot this is taking place in the us, where everbody can sue anybody for anything ;-)glad to see though "they" obviously have nothing more important to do.

America already has too many legal constrictions on our so called Freedom of Expression. Nude beaches anyone? There is no need to bring the law into this matter…let the prudes whine about it on Sunday.

As to whether or not it's attractive…I guarantee you there is an element of the female population that feels this is the height of masculinity and wouldn't so much as look at a man otherwise. But then you probably won't find them reading the Satorialist blog anytime soon. Too each his own. Personally I find somewhere in the middle to be ideal. No fancy suits and expensive shoes. No baggy shorts or outrageous bling. Just regular guy.

Is this any worse than Broccoli Spears and her chums constantly forgetting to put their pants on at all. People will always behave in ways which others find inappropriate, but as long as they aren't physically hurting anyone, I don't see the problem. Enjoy your freedom and allow others to enjoy theirs – it's only clothes and you could be living in Iran.

Emma say…No way would I give a second glance at a guy walking by exposing his underwear, but there are girls out there that do find this attractive. These "macho men" typically have a low credit score to match their low IQ! It's true and you all know it!

I mean, there is a big differenece between wearing your trousers below the waistline -which can appear relaxed and informal- and wearing them like the man in the photo, with his underwear saying hello to everybody -wich is also ridiculous because there is no way to walk like this-.

Either you accept individualism, or you send out the message "Why can't you just dress like the rest of us?", which further distances the individual from the norm. Equally, if everyone dressed like Mr Belted Shorts in Paris, there would be no reason for someone dressing like that to appear in this blog.

This is about a generation of dads, being too afraid to say anything, to their sons!It's anything but macho, and if handing out a fine is what's needed so others don't have to see his undies, then fine on!It's like second hand smoke…

Fashion is largely dictated by the company you keep and the group you most identify with. Unless you have enough self confidence to deviate from it then this will remain a style until the prognosticators of this look change direction and the sheep follow. But this predicament of fashion is not exclusive to the urban or hip hop community.

I live in the North of England and this look seems to be everywhere. Surely women cannot take a man looking like this seriously. As much as I like rap (please don't confuse this with hip-hop), this looks like a bloke with potty training issues.

I used to like when guys dressed a bit sloppy when I was a teenager, but I don't think it looks good on grown men. Sagging isn't too bad, but having the whole butt having out looks stupid. I like a man that dresses with pride and sophistication.

That said, I think it's ridiculous to have laws on how people can dress. We don't have that as far as I know in Norway where I live. But I know some European countries are getting laws on burkas and hijabs in schools, which I think is just crazy. People should wear what they want, and nobody can say what type of clothes is "right".

Well I think if guys really knew where this look came from they might have a second thought, it derives from prison culture. In the "yard" it is a way to distinguish which men are "available" and it means that you are willing to be a bottom.

Seriously. It just looks idiotic. It's not a fashion statement. This isn't even sloppy. I mean, I would think that they would really have to try hard to keep the dang things up at that point. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. I see boxers showing all the time. Not nearly as big of a deal and the whole darn hiney shining.

i recently threw on some shorts to run a quick errand. i skipped the belt and in no time my shorts were hanging low. never mind how i looked – it was uncomfortable beyond words. i know beauty has no price, but fellas – come on. and this guy in particular couldn't be less attractive.

even my nice, well-mannered, mozart-loving norwegian piano students show up at their lessons dressed like this (albeit in a little more discreet version)… it looks both unstylish and embarrassingly stupid, and i always wonder what'll happen if they're late for the bus and have to run. but it'll pass – i suddenly remembered the time when girls wore low-cut jeans with half of their g-strings showing. i haven't seen that for a long time now, so hopefully we can all laugh at this in a while!

This is a legitimate style choice, much as some of us don't find it to our taste. As far as it being illegal, that's just silly. We should all be able to express ourselves as we see fit, as long as we don't hurt anyone!

One of my friends had this topic as a debate topic in her social studies class. They decided that when a guy's pants are practically at their knees, like in the picture, it's unattractive and tacky. However, completely covering the underwear, for younger guys anyway, wasn't attractive either. The class' final verdict was that guys should wear a belt and they should belt their pants about halfway to three quarters of the way up their butt for ultimate attractive factor.

besides lacking style in all elements, this look has a disgusting background. in prisons, men would need to fill their desires and resort to the other men in jail. so, when these prisoners left they advertised their availability to other men by exposing themselves just as this picture demonstrates.

I just don't understand how the pants stay on at all. 1) Followers of this trend have to walk like they are carrying a huge dump in their seat. 2) Do you have to pin the front of the pants to something (shirt? hidden belt?) to keep them from falling all the way off? I see this all the time and just cant stop thinking about how ridiculously uncomfortable and nettlesome the whole arrangement must feel to the wearer. I really hoped the "Pants on the ground" song might help usher out this trend, but it doesn't seem so. Too bad!

i don't understand this look;i get that it is associated with a street machismo.but i ask you,what is so macho about showing one's ass?(which is essentially what they're doing.)it looks as if they're trying to sell it.and that's fine,but please let's not call it masculinity.

WHY? thats what i wonder when i see someone with their ass hanging out of their pants. and how on earth can it be efficient/comfortable, to walk around like that? but.. to each his own, that is the glory of living in a free country, the right to dress how you want. fashion is an expression of the times we live in, and for these unfortunate souls who choose to put their ass on display, that is their choice, their reality. we can just add it to the collective archives of WTF? just another fashion faupaux that will eventually fade out. the more attention it gets, the more we will see of it. at least they arent wearing g- strings!

I don't know about making it illegal, but it is a trend that certainly needs to pass. I don't care to see a woman wearing a mesh dress over bra and panties and I do not want to see a man's boxers over the top of his jeans.

i don't see much machismo in having to be constantly yanking your pants back up every five or six steps. i have also seen this travesty at the beach! because apparently there's nothing sexier than soggy boxer shorts wadding out of a pair of board shorts. er, no, no thank you.

It looks stupid, it puts the wearer at a physical disadvantage as most of them need to keep one hand on the waistband to walk, and considering the style originated in prison to indicate that the wearer was ammenable to sexual relations via the dropped trou, it's absolutely laughable.

I don't think it's about being macho so much as it often is about self preservation. You see this sort of thing a lot in poor or dangerous areas. I live near a homeless shelter, and when I walk around the neighborhood I want to make sure that people will leave me alone. So I dress down when I expect to keep within a few blocks. If I lived near heavy gang activity I would probably adjust my look somewhat for that environment, as it would be even more important to blend in. This particular look in question originated in prisons. If you're going to mess with someone on the street, you're probably less likely to pick on the guy who looks like he's fresh out of jail.That said, of course I find the look unappealing: I read The Sartorialist like everyone else here!

Okay, can I just throw one name into the discussion – Alexander McQueen.

When McQueen died, a great deal was made of his invention of The Bumster – low-cut trousers which revealed the cleft of the buttocks. McQueen's position was that this was as erotic as breast cleavage, which we do display.

So, if the low-slung trousers display naked buttock cleft – is that an acceptable style statement? An erotic display? And, if the name Alexander McQueen enters the debate, do we all think low-slung trousers are fashionable and stylish?

It'd be interesting to know where and how this started – is it merely a rebellion against neatness or something more deeply symbolic? What are its limits in terms of how low to go? And at what age should a man start to pull up his trousers?

Saggers probably scoff at the photos seen on this blog. Style is personal. Taste is different. Remember grunge came from the streets where essentially all fashion does. How many can really afford the fashion seen here?

I just feel really awkward and don't know where to look. Feels like I'm invading his privacy! I would not want unknown people on the street to look at my undies, either. Also, pretty much all of the guys who dress like this have really, really bad underwear :D

I don't think it is a masculine thing. I think it is a fashion thing. Not the fashion displayed on this blog, but certainly a very particular style. I find it strange so many respondents fail to understand this.

Displaying underwear for a female has been/ still is considered risqué, and has been fashionable and desirable. If you can get suspended or reprimanded for wearing your pants like this, than that is obviously a plus point.

I'm pretty sure if you think this look is 'disgusting' or 'horrible' or 'cheap' or 'undesirable', then you are not the person who is trying to be impressed.

And you can't seriously be advocating comfort or practicality as a key factor in fashion. I think after taking a look at our own shoes / clothes / accessories, you can not seriously argue that.

Ridiculous! Why even wear pants at all? I would run the other way if that guy asked me out. That all being said, that's not the kind of thing that should be legislated. We should just make them feel embarassed so they'll stop!

i dont think this website is a very accurate blogspot to get opinions. obviously everyone who reads the sartotialist is not going to agree with ignorant style…but you would be surprised how many people in the U.S. not only accept the look but prefer it!

Sagging is a phenomenon made popular by the glorification of convicts who were made to wear prison uniforms that were too large, so more often than not, you will find it worn by minorities (in the US). Because of this, banning sagging becomes a tricky (racial) issue and I think the powers that be should leave well enough alone. It has been around for about 20 years and it shows no sign of changing. Heck, kids are even sagging skinny jeans now…how, I don't understand yet.

As a matter of exposure in public places, like schools, I agree that underwear should be covered, but I do not agree that it should be illegal for a person to wear clothing a certain way just because some find the 'style' tasteless or uncouth. So if young men and women want to sag, they should be free to do so. BUT if they want to sag in school, their top should be long enough to cover their underwear.

It looks really uncomfortable and impractical. It seems to me that the belt must be buckled quite tight at that point below the buttocks, otherwise how else do they keep the pants from falling to the ankles? I assume one must constantly tug at the pants too to keep them from falling. Seems like a lot of effort to get this look.

I'm not sure what the difference here is to the lady earlier on with the white lace dress revealing her underwear–yet most comments seemed to be in awe of it.Is the difference that she's a female and/or famous? We're really not used to seeing males flaunting themselves much the last few decades conpared to women. Once we decided to have an aversion to speedos (in the more conservative 60/70s) nothing much has become acceptable where the more sexual male body is out there proudly.To me neither is particularly sexy or attractive–it's appears too aggressive and in your face to be tittilating. But it is certainly major attention grabbing–and maybe this is all they want.I certainly don't think it should be banned.I also think in this case it is sending messages to similar minded/dressed people that they are one of them–whatever that is.

My 15 year old does a bit of this and I think he looks cool–but his undies are not so plain and the pants are not so low–this here just looks uncomfortable.

Didn't it all start when men and boys started wearing oversized pants out of solidarity with jailed family and friends who were given standard issue oversized pants? And then what started among a particular social class spread like wildfire. Is it sexy? No. It's pretty ridiculous but I thought it was actually on the way out, no?

Hi Scott. Hi everyone. I just want to respectfully articulate my personal insight on this matter. Interesting that this is getting public media attention,as well as legal consideration since sagging pants is basically 20 years old now. It has always been a faux pas, and i think that is the point. kids want to do things that society doesn't agree with. They want to be on the fringe. Particularly so if these young men feel that they have been placed in a category of disenfranchisement by default, because of race and class. Lets be real. These are generally male youth of color that don't exactly come from money. This is one way to throw up the middle finger. Yes it can be seen as a political statement. And to be real about something else. This is akin to the criminalization of the "zuit suit" in the 1940's. Yet another avenue to turn people into criminals. Personally I don't care for the sagging pants look, and I wish there were other ways for these young men to subvert. But I get it. They need to go after the CEO's of AIG. Those people are real criminals. older men in nice suits. And we want our young men to be just like them. Scott, I know that this is not the kind of long winded response that you asked for, but i felt it necessary to say.

A Clown. His right to look like a clown. Maybe more people should laugh when he passes by. The comment above regarding the "yard" culture is correct. Unfortunately, most young men don't know what this means. The tighty whiteys are mostly the problem. Remember the thong showing? Women didn't show thier hanes briefs!Underwear is underwear. Maybe a nice patterned pair would work, clowns like polka dots………..

Anybody who's taken even an elementary statistics class knows that this isn't an objective sample of women you're asking.

I personally don't sag but am surprised by how angry people are getting about this. It's a style of wearing one's clothes. Are we also going to say that hip hop is not music but classical is? We can each have our preferences but let's please And how much is actually being shown? Can you see skin? Why is there an uproar about this look and not over Anna Dello Russo's, which is definitely more revealing?Regarding comments about how hard it would be for people to run whilst sagging, stilettos aren't the most functional either. IMO comfort and confidence are important aspects to a look, and this man looks both comfortable and confident. Who are we to judge, let alone police this?

Why is everybody just commenting on whether it looks good or not and not on the incredible attempt to make this illegal? style for me is about expressing an attitude and isn't it perfectly ok to express that you don't conform to common notions of elegance and chic? style is not just beauty and good looks. it can be dirty, subversive and rock 'n roll. imagine everybody was only wearing suits! hardly an expression of the variety of people and attitudes out there! isn't it the variety of styles and attitudes that makes new york an interesting place and fashion more than accessory of the mainstream? If some people hate some of the styles out there – all the better: it shows that we're not all the same! Who would seriously make an expression of individuality illegal in the land of the free?

Unfortunately, and many will disagree, this is considered fashion. Not fashion in the sense you and I and others perceive as but the fashion this man (pictured) and others adhere too. You ask do women find this attractive? Of course they do! Probably not the women who subscribe to this blog but probably the women in this man's neighborhood or the clubs he frequents. Believe it or not the man pictured here most likely gets his fair share of beautiful women. Now before any of you reply "what kind of women might that be" let me just say this, whether it's PUNK, SKA, REGGAE, SURF, HIP HOP or GRUNGE the men adhere to their own standards of what they perceive as fashion and there are the ladies who do find it attractive. It may not look pretty to us but in the end but this man takes as much time and energy as any of us do when it comes putting an outfit together.

After skimming the comments, I notice very little mention about the real origins of this look. ~~When you are put in jail, they take away your belt~~ I am not informed enough to say if this is widely known or popularly thought of as a tribute or street creds, of sorts. It does certainly complicate the discussion of its merits or social significance. I prefer to leave this info as a nonjudgmental item to stir into the mix of debate.

It's not a rational middle class way of presenting oneself, but I can't judge it. He's clearly expressing himself as not rational and middle class. He has that in common with many of the other people you show in this blog, such as women wearing stiletto heels or or otherwise vertigo inducing footwear, or animal hides, or men wearing skirts, etc.

How is this any different than any style craze that's inspired by music? Back in the 80's when Madonna was wearing her underwear on the outside and all her fans were doing it too plenty of people thought it was unattractive and inappropriate. If you watch artists like Lil' Wayne and T-Pain they all wear their jeans hanging down below their butts. It's a legitimate 'style' even if it's not My/Your style.Hopefully it will eventually go the wayside of all those other ridiculous looking fashion statements that we look back upon and laugh at. ;)

I have been one of them wearing bi baggy jeans, very not like in the pictures but still had the lil' piece in the bottom saggin lol but i think that rule it is maybe too seriou and not that important in fact. I fact it's not really the right subject, or else we could forbid laces that shows skin and transparence clothes… I think it's a trend (ghetto one) and it has to be anaysed by fashion people and not by political !! (Sorry for my english i'm french…)

As a women, I would never date anyone who dressed like this. I also do not want to have to sit/stand close to strangers dressed like this – public transportation, elevators etc. It's just disgusting. I think it should be illegal.

i feel that there are a lot of prejudices against this type of style…but honestly, its not hurting anyone. how can we draw an arbitrary line to say what is stylish and what isn't? what is acceptable and what is not? it may seem ridiculous to you but let people dress the way they want.I personally would not wear this look, but sometimes it looks good, sometimes it looks bad, however thats in my own eyes. I don't think its a crime at all though, at least not in public. We should not be policing personal style in courts.Is it disrespectful for women to wear low cut shirts etc. Im ranting now, but just my thoughts.

when i was from the age of 15 to 19 i liked it, just because the only alternative was preppy rugby boys wearing salmon pink rugby shirts and dock shoes, and yeh, that didn't push my button. However seeing a man over the age of 21 with his arse hanging out like that is wrong on so many levels. It's sad when a man begins to go grey and balding but he still can't pull up his trousers properly. Phah, and they wonder when its only 17year old girls that fancy them!x

Just take the cues from Pharell, from Jay Z, from Diddy, from Will I am, from Akon, and from all the other phenomenon in the hip-hop industry who are also in the fashion scene/industry, and you'll truly see the movers, the shakers, and the shapers of the street fashion, the urban scene, and the every day hip-hop look! Nothing says sexy than a man who wears his clothes with style and panache. All of these heavy hitters I mentioned are style icons. Good fashion sense always prevails!

I detest saggy pants, especially ones that are so tight it looks as though the guy couldn't pull his pants all the way up even if he wanted to. Nothing is cool or fashionable about letting your ass hang out, and that applies to men and women alike!

I certainly don't think it looks great, but the issue of wearing baggy pants is a cultural one.

It simply does not appeal to wealthy white people (unless that wealthy white person happens to be a teenage boy trying to not look wealthy and white)–but is a major aspect of what is considered fashionable or attractive in black culture. Similar to the one-top-button look in the Latino community.

Different communities decide what the ideal is. And I dare say that many of this blog's readers probably fall into the wealthy white category, so it makes sense that people wouldn't like it. But for another whole group of people, it is not only tolerated but desired.

In a way, it's a great time saver to instantly gauge someone's intelligence.

This fad (I hesitate to call it a fad because it seems like it's been around forever) is some glorification of prisoner chic isn't it? Because they don't give you a belt in prison so your pants sag? maybe I'm wrong.

The thing I find most interesting about the "sag" fad is its origin. I was told that sagging originated from men in jail who wanted to show that they were "available". I don't know if I buy this explanation.

It seems more likely that men were sagging in jail because they were given clothes that didn't fit and weren't provided belts for fear of inmates using them as weapons.

Eventually, sagging made its way out of jail and onto the streets. The real question is why much of the youth culture is so fascinated by a fad that originated in jail.

The only time/place I've seen women get into the sagging fad was in 2009 in Spain. It was really interesting. Teenage women would wear cutesy little panties then sag their jeans–it was hilarious and I loved it.

The irony is that this style originated in prisons and now people are wanting to make it illegal. i think its a symbol of defiance as is so much of our efforts at style and fashion, therefore, i don't think the question is whether we 'like it or not,' but do we support the act of resistance it represents. I also find it to be a socioeconomic expression instigated by people of color. now that kids in the suburb are comin home with their jeans around their thighs, folks are screaming ' illegal!!!'

I don't understand why they wear them so low…certainly in this picture it should be a crime, because those boxers don't even look clean. But I think that if you need to add colour to your outfit then showing the waistband and a bit of your boxers can help integrate your outfit.

It's interesting that this style (if one can call it that) would be highlighted as particularly "masculine" (in the sense that I gather the men who wear it see it) as it was a trend that started in male prisons to let other inmates know that you were "available." ;-)

sure, it can look bad BUT as soon as you start prescribing what people should or should not wear you're on a slippery slope and just getting steamed up about hot air. As a young person – and even though I wouldn't wear this personally – I find this debate irritatingly narrow minded and prescriptive…and why is every one so obsessed with why guys are wearing this to attract women or not? It's just a question of personal style.

I wouldn't be seen with him looking like that… but I also wouldn't be seen *wearing* some of the things I see other women wearing. I don't think all women are inherently stylish, so he might be with a woman who is similarly styled. It's a culture and a style. Not mine, but not ours to judge really with no ultimate standard.

It's ridiculous that it's become a legal issue. There's no difference between underwear and an article of clothing that covers the same area, when it comes down to it, and trying to discern where to draw the line would become impossible.

Who cares how tacky someone else looks anyway? Isn't hurting me.

However, that said, of course it's tacky, but different women, different class distinctions, different tastes.

Also, my fiance is actually encouraged to sag (not to that extent, but the paints are supposed to be seated mid-ahem, bottom) at work. He's a manager at a popular retail establishment for high school/college students. His work dress code is ridiculous/awful, but thankfully he's got a grown up job to start this winter :].

This has nothing to do with style. This is what the hood is about. You have young people who emulate it at an alarming rate, but I guarantee no one in East New york, L.E.S. and other notorious spots even cares about how it's perceived. This is their way of being, It's not right, tasteful or any of that, but most urban style comesfrom jails as said in the article. I'm not talking all urban folk do this, but for the hustlers and dealers on the block, this is heir uniform. Doo rags were jail originated, no laces in the sneaks was a jail thing and this also falls into that category. It just is what it is. It ain't going nowhere. Not defending it as I wear my joints correctly, just shedding some light.

In Chicago I see this look frequently. I agree it looks awful, but what really gets me is the lack of function. These guys waddle around, then pull the pants up from the waist so they can climb stairs! Seeing guys run for the train in sagging pants is priceless, though, so funny!

Perhaps I'm wrong, but I don't think anyone would agree with this motley display of machismo and perhaps i'm regressing further but the people that would find this attractive wouldn't be on satorialist, anyways. Just a thought..

apart from his ugly grey under pants, isn´t it far more important how he looks like above his belt line and wether he is a charming or a insecure macho guy? Even the most hideous outfit can´t tell that much about a person!

And thank you very much, Scott for not just showing the great dressed ones.

i started high school when this was "the bomb" in the mid-90's, and every guy i knew was doing this. but being the total clueless freak i was in high school i will quote the movie…

I don’t want to be a traitor to my generation but i dont get how guys dress today i mean it looks like they just rolled out of bed put on a pair of baggy pants, and take their greasy hair ew cover it up with a backwards cap and like we are expected to swoon…. i dont think so

and i live by those words today…my husband definitely wears his pants where they are suppose to be.

There is nothing sexier than the way a man's backside looks in a pair of jeans that fits well and sits well on his hips. This young man is not sexy to me at all.

I doubt that he is trying to be sexy. I think he is trying to be rebellious and as long as we complain about this style of dress, we will continue to see it. I also feel it is becoming dated (been there, seen that!).

I also wonder what physical ailments these young men will acquire in their middle age from having to walk this way and hold up their pants all the time.

I don't actually mind this as much as most girls should. I mean, it's how they want to dress, correct? If saggy pants are illegal, than shouldn't a larger person wearing too-short shorts be illegal too? eyesores cannot be avoided, I'm afraid.

(personally, I'd prefer to see sagged pants on a man than skinny jeans. I deeply despise seeing a man in skinny jeans.)

why is that fashionable, when sagging is low fashion? at some level what is in style is completely arbitrary. the only reason sagging is suppressed is because it is a style propagated by the poorest and most repressed people in the nation, mostly minorities and the urban poor. if sagging had originated on the runway at milan fashion week i'm sure we'd see a lot of pictures of "beautiful people" with sagging pants on this website.

I think that every person has the right to express him or herself. If they like baggy pants, even though unflattering, they should be able to wear them. Where's our freedom of choice at in this debate?

Hell NO! I hate this look and I wish someone would slap some sense into these young and God forbid older men walking around like this. It is quite rude that we are forced to look at their underpants if you ask me.

This is fashion, namely a way of wearing clothes that has a market, political, social, cultural beginning and end. I don't think it looks good, but neither I think burberry rain coat looks good.

We can say wahtever, but there is a whole market and a bunch of designer clothes who make jeans to be worn like this.

They can't walk? Well neither can I with most of my fancy heels. Yet I do it, cause is fashion. I thank anonymous for pointing out the origin of the usage (solidarity with those in prison without belts). I take most people don't know this, but neither most people who wear a che guevara designer t shirt or who wear coco chanel know about communism or female liberation.We can talk esthetics, we can talk human figure but bringing out in the Sartorialist morale sounds to me well snobish and classist.

NOOO!!! This is the most absurd fashion statement of the decade, I am a real liberal dresser and have no type of objection for the weird and wonderful the creative and ambitious but this is just so not macho!!!!They start to walk badly they are not sexy and they look hidious trying to run across the road or picking something up…..Please someone try to get this into their heads that this is not at all cool, I do my best as i deal with them on a daily basis but it is hard work!!!

Honestly, the demographic of your readers would suggest that they are likely not to like this look. I'm sure this guy wouldn't wear this look completely on his own if his comrades weren't also wearing it. I find it pretty awful, but he's not wearing it for me, he's wearing it for himself and his friends. I'm sure that he'd find what I wear pretty repulsive, too.

At one point is something "culturally" (as in the group/culture you live in) appropriate but repulsive to other cultures, or simply "bad style" (and by whose standards?)?

I do not understand this look. Casual and relaxed is one thing, but what is this? What really bothers me is when people say "youngsters" are to blame. I'm a teenager, and all I know is whenever my friends and I see someone with their pants like that, we have to fight the urge to run up behind them and pull them up for them. I may hate this (and think it looks incredibly distasteful); however, I do not think it's right to force people to dress a certain way. There would just more opposition to it Also, if police ticketed everyone with their pants like that, it would just mean cops are spending their time fighting a ridiculous (dare I say?) trend, instead of focusing on real criminals.

I don't like under garments showing. So NO. I do not like this look nor would I be with a man who wore his pants like this. But the current trend of lace over under garments is similar in my opinion. It's all subjective. It is a fine line that is being crossed of how the government feels is the limit. There has to be a line somewhere though.

Let them wear what they want. They will feel embarrassed for having followed this trend in due time. Authorities can feel free to inform them that this is not really good for their posture and that it makes it harder for them to be taken seriously professionally. But ultimately it's up to them to choose how they want to express themselves through what they wear.

Honestly, I find pants resting at the TOP of the gluteal cleft while revealing a nice pair of frocks fairly attractive, and the pants are still serving their intended function.

The example given is the style and trend at its very worst: plain white underwear, dirty jeans, cell phone, sag below the gluteal cleft, and worn in such a way as to prohibit the natural, graceful stride of the human body. In fact, that style does nothing to bring attention to any natural attributes the young man might have but detracts from them, which, is doubtfully the intended point of his outfit.

As a woman who is very tolerant of her husbands style shortcomings (shorts, black socks, black shoes all at once), would not be seen with anyone displaying this much sag and does not think this is macho in any way. It is simply a sign of laziness and lacks creativity.

I am a female sagger. Not like this. But I find it a lot more comfortable. Back in the day, a friend of mine gave me day of the week underwear so my sagging actually became useful to the people around me. I was a walking calendar.

I like a little sag, but this is too much. And the top is really nasty looking.

Why do you read the NY Post? The comments on that article make me want to gag.

I am no more offended by this than I am by women who think I need to see their thong strap, tramp stamp and /or ass crack. I am all for individual expression, personal style, etc. While women's fashion will move on from the belly shirt and low rise pants that treats us all to "muffin tops", men's fasion move on more slowly and we still have some years of baggy gray boxers to see.

I agree with @batikh and others who comment on the politics behind this style of dress. We must keep in mind that fashion is a language, of sorts.

Whenever I see this baggy pants look, and where I live, I do not see it often, I always think about the large piece of cloth men wear in tropical climates, and I also think of the kilt and "Hammer" pants.

What are the politics of banning such items of clothing? Does it embolden those who enjoy wearing such styles as baggy pants?

What about when the Zoot Suit was considered radical?

You must read, if you have not already, The Power of the Zoot: Youth Culture and Resistance During World War II, by Luis Alvarez.

ach person have the right to dress the way they want… if you ask the police, probably Roitfield, Menkes, DelloRusso, Gaga, Santodomingo, Beracasa, and so on would allready be in jail. Shame on those who believe they have the right to tell other how to dress

plus, out of europe and the occidental world, Schumann, Elkann, Hastings, and kho, woul face the same problem, so…

i'm sorry, but no. not only is it horribly unflattering, but its unbelievable to me that it has gotten to a point where certain men (boys)consider this macho.

also- can you imagine if a woman was caught with that amount of her underwear showing? it would be so much more likely for her to be asked to pull up her pants than a man. its not even a gender related shirts on/off situation; everyone has an ass, and no, i do not want to see yours in public. or anywhere.

I didn't read each and every comment as usual so I risk repetition here…low pockets on jeans come from a direct influence of wearing your pants low like this. Even though I think his pants are kinda lame, still his way of wearing them have had some fashion merit.

Wow, Scott, you have quite a stuff, conservative readership, huh? I'd much rather see saggy pants than the high waisted belted number featured today. sheesh. Lighten up people! You all sound like old fogies.

However this started, it's not an attractive look to say the least. I see the boys walking home from the local high school in this look, I imagine that they pull them down this low after they get out of school, and watching them walk is funny to see. They do seem to have trouble keeping them up.

This should apply to men as well: Leave a little to the imagination! Please! I find it attractive when, lets say, a rockstar shows off the top of his boxers…..but man, this guy is undressing before our very eyes. Not cute.

OK, I know it seems gross, but I feel like this shows a really cute kind of confidence in guys. There doing it because they think it's cool. They think they're cool, they don't really care what you think. That makes me, as a woman, turned on. Just another view.. :)

"The rumor becomes a way of passing along one group's disdain for another's sartorial practice. Communicating that the saggers are unwittingly offering their backsides to all takers when they think they are mimicking admired rappers and identifying with tough guys no sensible person would mess with becomes a way of saying 'The joke is really on them.'"

In this case, many of this site's readers immediately assume that those who wear their trousers this way are "man-toddlers", "gay", or "idiotic". I think it wouldn't be unreasonable to read an element of racism or classism into this dismissal. Or maybe it's just that the readers of a blog mostly about mostly upper-class European fashions are mostly into upper-class European fashions.

Its perfectly fine the way he dresses because where he is from i is probably the most acceptable form of fashion and dress and the ladies from there may like it because thats what they know. Besides arent clothes supposed to show who we are and where we come from not conform to everyone's societa expectations of what should be.

It's beyond absurd. I can't think of a single redeeming thing about this fad, for the wearer or those of us on the outside looking in. Even my 14 year old thinks its a huge turn off, and she's a big fan of hip hop music and dance. Please. Be a man and pull your pants up.

I don't think one should debate what looks unattractive, it becomes too personal, too political. Let women be with the men they want to be with, it is none of our business. I think you should continue showing people what you love. That is the best way for you to improve style in the world, if that is your goal.

Honestly, it depends on the woman you ask, most woman find this really unappealing (especially the kind of women that follow your blog) but there are also some woman who find this attractive and fashionable. I'm a proud owner of your book and I think that we shouldn't be so quick to judge his sense of style, every person's style is their own, and there are much wackier people on the streets of New York that we aren't haven't a discussion about, but somehow people are so quick to criticize the 'Urban' style.

i absolutely DESPISE it when guys wear pants like this. It's so tacky and unattractive!!!!those guys that wear pants like this are just a bunch of losers…so uncool…what are they thinking!!I can't get over it! Ugh so gross!!! >.<

I work with teenagers in Baltimore so I see this plenty. On a purely practical level I think we can all agree this is stupid – uncomfortable, can't run, constant belt adjustment etc. But most of the kids who wear their pants like this WANT the kind of people (including women) who read the Sartorialist to be horrified or confused by them. And they want to express to each other how hardened and tough they (think) they are. Even when they're 14-years-old and don't know anyone in jail. It's no different than me walking around with a shaved head when I was a 15-year-old girl. I wanted everyone to think I was real tough.

My high school gym coach lectured my class very well on this matter. As I recall, he told us that the style originated in prisons for, um…"easy access"…whether that is fact or his own personal conclusion I don't know….but it seemes damned plausible to me.

Whats more shocking, though, is that this mode of wearing one's pants has actually become "fashionable" in the minds of so many lost souls.

What is the next generation going to say when it looks back to our current fashion trends? That we were, at least a good deal of us, a horde of tactless thugs?

This trend is a disgrace to humanity and should be eradicated from the earth.

A related look that I find particularly silly is the boys in skinny jeans that are baggy in the waist and seat. An unfortunate mixing of two trends that leaves teh wearer looking like he's wearing a diaper.

I belive that sagging may have started (as well as baggy clothes in general) as a way for displaying brothership and appreciation within beaten down parts of society where clothes didn't fit because everything you wore was a hand-me-down. However, when people start doing it just because other people are doing it, it pretty much just becomes a decision to have your pants falling off at all times. This is a fine stylistic choice. All choices are fine, and we're free to do whatever we want with clothes (to a certain extent), which preserves it as a method of expression. However, if you're sagging, ask yourself why you decided to start sagging? What assosciations caused you to like this? Do you really like it, or are you trying to portray an image that is not really you? If so, then you miss the point of expressing yourself through clothing and presentation.

However, it should not be a legal issue. Clothing in general shouldn't really be a legal issue, but then it starts getting to political, and anything political tends to chace it's own tail and run in circles if you question it deeply enough.

This is an interesting debate. Personally, I find it rather strange that someone would want to wear their pants sagging in this manner. What if they need to run to catch a bus or train? Do the pants fall? Does it limit their ability to jump over a puddle?

I think anyone can dress however they want. We can't regulate everything. If politicians want to take a stand, they should be focused on more pressing issues, maybe public education and how it's failing our youth. Taking a stand against saggy pants, that's just silly. Let the man wear what he wants to. The same could be said for women in skirts or shorts that are too short. If they want their undies to be the only thing separating them from the subway seat, then that's their choice.

I find it comical that people are getting upset about people judging other people based on saggy pants when women are consistently judged for their weight, hair, style, and cup size. Such is life in a patriarchal society. Getting all fired up over pants is just silly.

This photo reminded me of a quote from a movie released in 1995 called, Clueless, regarding certain mens' style: "So okay, I don't want to be a traitor to my generation and all but I don't get how guys dress today. I mean, come on, it looks like they just fell out of bed and put on some baggy pants and take their greasy hair – ew – and cover it up with a backwards cap and like, we're expected to swoon? I don't think so."

Saw this same guy in the West Village yesterday with the same tasteful look, only with thin navy blue briefs and an even lower pair of pants. Figured he must be a gay hustler who wandered south (no pun intended) from Chelsea. Really tempted to tell him to pull up his damn pants – it was 10:30 in the morning and there were plenty of kids on Bleecker Street. Sheesh!

I have a great friend who is a parole officer. He explained this look to me. It is more than just a look, it is a cultural thing. He says it started in the prisons years and years ago. It is a signal to ward off would be "attackers". I don't think I need go into too much explanation as to what kind of attack I mean. In short, its a way of saying: "If you want this, here it is. But I dare you to come after it". I wonder if this is true? Its sounds viable to me.

Personally, I think its kind of nuts, but a person should have the right to express themselves. Isn't this what fashion is all about?

When a woman dresses (especially ala the 80's) with 75% of her body hanging out, people either say she is a loose tacky woman or exactly the opposite, she is HOT!.

My husband and I get a real kick out of watching a certain news channel owned by R.M. The women anchors, with the exception of one who is a lawyer and hosts an afternoon show, are dressed from head to toe in scanty dresses with low cleavage. For starters, if you're not a blond you can forget a steady anchor job with this corporation!

One morning, not too long ago,the female partner of their morning trio crossed her legs and I swear you we could see her panties, this is how short her dress was. It was like the famous shot from the movie Basic Instinct. We both laugh daily at the obvious double standard for the men anchors versus the females. Why don't the men wear shirts open down to their navels with lots of gold necklaces and skin tight trousers showing off their "package".

So back to this photograph, this is a self expression issue. I think anytime we start to sensor "anything" in any kind of mass way, we are headed down a road we just don't want to go. George Orwell put it all down in his novel "1984". For those of you who haven't read it, please do. It's especially appropriate for these times in general.

I don't think the issue can go as far as to be a 'legal matter'. I believe it will remain frowned upon by society, in the same way young girls are discourage for wearing low cut tops. If the issue was to become a legal matter it would have to take into consideration other aspects of dress that show the body in what might be viewed as unsightly.

I don't mind if a little shows, but when their butt is actually out it's just plain ridiculous. I once saw some moron with his pants so low they were actually around his thighs (if not lower)!!!! I wish I was exaggerating here.

It's a stupid, trashy, vulgar trend, that has resulted in most 'men' not knowing how trousers or jeans should actually fit. This is part of my generation, and I refused to take any guy seriously if he is unable to know how to wear his pants correctly. Why is it considered trashy for a woman's underwear to hang out of her jeans, especially if it is a thong, but guys find this 'comfortable' and we (generalizing N. American society) find it mostly socially acceptable? I don't get it. I can't stand it, it's a waste of fabric.

How embarrassing it will be in 50-100 years in a museum of culture or design, and there will be this ensemble of males wearing pants 5 sizes to big and below their butts as a fashion statement, right next to the tailored suits from the 50s and the beautiful pieces from the 18th century?

And we have progressed as a society? If we're judging by our clothing, the answer is no.

I do not find this attractive in the least. I once heard that this all began when men in prison would do this to let others know they were…ehm…available. Not sure if this is true but I think if some of these guys knew that they would think twice.

Keep the law out of it, I say. In fact, law enforcement should be thrilled by this fashion trend. Every time I see a young man dressed like this, I think, Hon, you cannot run from the police with your pants on the ground!"

Wow I lived this life when I was young… It's been around way longer than most people know. From what I know the girls that live around and grew up with these guys know that it is part of their scene. If the guy is cute, making money and other wise his style is to their liking then all is good.

This forum is a odd place to have this discussion. Yes of course you don't like the look this is a site full of people who follow trends and enjoy classic flavor. This is 'Hood dressing that is 'macho' because it makes people uncomfortable and the wearer doesn't care. The old "I did it my way" syndrome. If it becomes illegal then even more people will do it. Youth in revolt -small and large.cheers- Thom

I definitely don't think it makes a guy look macho… but maybe I'm not the person they're aiming it at!Then again, if that's how they want to express their style they can go ahead – maybe it works for them.But are they really expressing their style or just following a trend? I know boys who have done it purely because they'd be a 'loser' if they wore their pants properly.

I thought this style was out of date as I don't see so much of it now. It's youngsters who still seem to like it.

And perhaps because I live in rather conservative Toronto these hanging down pants are usually somewhat covered by an huge ugly shirt. It still looks really stupid as these guys can hardly walk. Walking behind (ha ha) them I have had to restrain myself from laughing out loud. Perhaps if they knew how silly they looked they would stop doing this.

Yes, a few people above have said that this is about young men of color showing solidarity with those in prison who are deprived of belts/pants that fit them. In a country in which 1 out of every 3 black men born in the year 2001 will go to jail, this is a resultant fashion/political statement.

This outfit is just pathetic for anyone to have to look at. There's nothing "cool" about it at all. Good taste & positive public decorum needs to slip back into the mainstream of our consciousness, hopefully sooner rather than later.

this originated in prison where belts are prohibited, and it blew up when rappers started doing this. so for your style to basically emulate that of a convict goes to show you the level of intelligence and class the wearer of this so-called "look" has.

I'm not quite sure his pants are baggy. I just think he's sagging them. I was at walmart the other day and I saw some indian kid in skinny jeans sagging. He was with another kid; a peer of his.

Some sort of altercation took place and his peer ran. He started to chase him and his pants slipped a bit lower. I watched this kid and I knew what he was going to do before he did it. Rather than pull the pants up to his waist, he merely tugged on the belt a bit and then (get this) pulled his shirt down to cover his underwear.

I suppose in the same way it doesn't occur to some people that parking in a restricted area will get their cars booted, it didn't occur to this young man that the solution could simply be solved by pulling up his pants or rather wearing them on his waist in the first place.

In a way it all comes down to priorities.

As for this being made a legal issue I think that's against the first ammendment. If they were to agree on a law prohibiting this display of dress, then a law should be created prohibiting the KKK from holding rallies or wearing cloaks. Reason being, the same way looking at this young man's ass might be unpleasurable to you; is the same way staring at a bunch of racists in full display is unpleasurable to me.

Just saying. On a side note, why are guys afraid of wearing short shorts? I personally don't like shorts that go up to or past my knees. Go figure.

I think if you are a teen or early 20's boy, then this is a passing phase – to wear something anyone mature (parents usually) will hate. Just like the new wave and punk looks my friends and I had which our parents were horrified and mystified by. After you've realized that not everyone older is an idiot, then give up this look as it is pretty laughable, not cool anymore and you are not going to be mistaken for a jail inmate, famous rapper, or the like.

From my point of view (raising boy children while this look came into vogue – on the street, not the magazine) the look had it's beginning in skater fashion. There are things that baggy pants make it easier to do on a skate board. Baggy pants also make it easier to 'carry' – weapons, drugs, what have you. So eventually, skater fashion became gang fashion. And I've seen pants that were like hoop skirts they were so incredibly big. It does look silly to me, and I don't know how they manage to walk. I also remember the boys telling me there was more room for their members in pants like these. Asked how much room they need, you get the same answer from your son and his friend as you would from any man – a lot!

Do they even make 501's anymore?

I think comments that reflect issues like class and socio-economic factors are really a reflection on those making the statements. Not in a good way, either. Who are they to judge?

First and foremost, fashion is freedom of expression and it is totally ridiculous that baggy pants are seriously being considered as an legal issue. This kind of style, however, is completely associated with a particular race and class and to bringing this up in court is discriminatory.

I agree with someone's comment regarding clothing being inconsistently handled. Men taking off their shirts is just as triggering as women taking off theirs. They should bring that up as a legal issue.

Why is it that this blog, with which I am entertained very much, quite often skirts (pun intended) fascist tendencies in both its subject matter and its commentary? It ruins its spontaneity.Lets get over both this and Anna Della Russo.

Unfortunately this style and fashion of dress was born within the prison system, and many can debate the exact root. However it has been stated that the uniform in prison never fits everyone as a tailored outfit would fit so the clothing tends to "sag", it has also been stated that it is a subtle way of signaling to another prison mate your availability, no pun intended. Unfortunately many males of every ethnicity who reside in underprivileged communities view the prison system as a rite of passage to adulthood and masculinity. Therefore this "style" of dress has more to do with the social aspects of a particular community who in particular are associated with the birth of Hip-Hop, the growth and success of Hip-Hop, and how across the globe its considered a "style" which alot of people are attracted to…

it's for guys seeking attention to their egos.. a fashion sense worst than crocks!!!

internet source on the history of how this fashion statement(if you call it that) came about, say that this behaviour was first displayed in prison where a male wore his jeans low to seek another males attention… eeeew!

It's just awful. I cringe at the lack of coverage. I understand people have all right to make an expressive fashion statement (i do). However this is a bad statement and one to not be repeated. I don't know of any women that would be willing to go out with a man wearing his boxers in public.

I read this blog because it's about appreciating how people dress. This blog hasn't been about telling people what not to wear or making fun of people for some how dressing badly. Also I've appreciated that most of the time the subjects have clearly agreed to be photographed.

This post, on the other hand, is making fun of how someone dresses and a picture of the person's back. That alone would be enough to be outside the spirit of this blog and make me think twice about wanting to continue to read. Of course this is a legal issue – sagging pants are worn by people who are exactly the targets of over-policing and police violence. And you want to doubt that this has real consequences in their lives?

Also, the way we dress is a complicated thing and isn't just as simple as attracted men or women. On top of that, this isn't for you. This isn't legible to you. Though I don't think this way of dressing is just to attract women, there are also clearly women who do like this, it's just not the women you know, it's not the women you understand.

I'm very disappointed in this blog right now. If there is no acknowledgement of how wrong it was to post this then I will stop reading.

I think people should dress how they feel, whether or not it looks good to some people is their opinion. This is what or country is based on, feeling free to voice how you feel and your opinions. Wearing your pants low is not a crime. It is unflattering to the male figure,(but there are many other things that some people find acceptable, that are just as unflattering: SQUARE TOED SHOES AHH!) but at the same time, figure proportion is not all of style. Too many times one forgets the mood or aesthetic of their look. Sagging pants is a reflection of a culture and lifestyle that not many people understand,(and im not talkin about gangsters or thugs, or african americans or Hispanics, cause thats a terrible stereotype) and people have generally run from what they dont understand. Youll probably see rick owens doin it in a year or so! I wouldnt wear it,but dont judge a book by its cover!

I've seen women with their pants that low.Live and let live?I think Id rather see that than a buttcrack, and I don't think this warrants intervention from the government, who knows what apparel or stylistic garment they'll pick on next?

Everyone has the right to dress the way they want to dress…that's an important freedom…of self-expression. Yet, it's an interesting dialogue. Do we penalize Lady Gaga for wearing practically nothing in her music videos? Hooters girls? Woman with incredibly short, short, short shorts?! It's the culture of over-exposure in all forms that needs to be addressed…we shouldn't be nailing these guys!

1) Yes, it is beyond ridiculous, but people should be able to wear whatever they want; 2) As someone else pointed, I seriously doubt anyone interested in The Sartorialist would appreciate that kind of outfit, ha, ha, ha; 3) To answer the original question, I'm a woman and I wouldn't even *talk* to a fella dressed like this.

Naturally, the majority of women reading TS (which I love by the way) aren't going to like the hip hop swagga look (attempt really, in this photo).

I don't think it's a matter of macho at all. It's just a hip-hop culture thing. The guys just wear baggy pants.

That being said, I am aware enough to know this look doesn't work for me at all, and aware enough to know that some guys can pull it off. But just like any other fashion attempt, few and far between really do it ritcheously.

It's hideous. Long legs are always more flattering to begin with, and these "pants on the ground" makes one look like his legs are less than 2 feet long. It's really ridiculous.

It didn't originate only because belts are not allowed in prison, but because guys would store their contraband in their pants. It was their "holding cell," as it were, for drugs, shanks, etc. Just the message you want to send on the street, right? Yuck.

NOT sexy. Looks uncomfortable and laughable. I could not have a conversation with someone dressed like this without laughing. I am sure I would end up staring at his boxers instead of paying attention to the conversation. Could not take a guy dressed like this seriously. Does not even look rebellious. It looks lame. Certainly not stylish in any sense of the word. From my pov bordering on Walmart People. Then again to each their own.

The style itself I have no issues with only replace the boxers with some decent underwear… my be some Calvin Klein inspired minimalist neoprene shorts from his summer collection a few seasons ago……I have seen more questionable fashion on these pages…….skirts and clutched bags on men?

Amazed and disappointed at some of the comments posted here – especially those such as Ana's, who remarks that dressing like this "dequalifies [sic] a person immediately."

"Dequalifies" them from what, exactly?

Part of the appeal of fashion is the friction generated when different cultural tropes rub up against one another. It's exciting. Sometimes the results are illuminating, other times alien or disconcerting.

At least some of the posts here move away from the trite, supercilious, and judgemental and into talking about the rationale for dressing this way or why exactly it doesn't agree with them.

I agree with the freedom of choice argument. No it's not my personal taste, but I think its arrogant to assume you know better than others, no matter what role you play in the fashion industry. I can't stand the notion that being 'fashionable' gives you the right the lord it over other unsuspecting individuals- which is usually the ploy for those bound up with insecurities of their own. The look may have a lot of references that the readers of the Sartorialist are not aware of such as a music culture and a specific street scene. I can even imagine a lot of designers citing this as inspiration, such as Jeremy Scott. COME ON PEOPLE = FREEDOM TO CHOOSE AND EXPRESS. Lets not regress to dictatorship…. Clym.

Hmm, this is coming from a kind of hip-hop-rap-cartoon esthetics. It's about showing extremely long torso with short stubby legs. Worn with big skateboard-sneakers underlining the short saggy pants. Everything must be big and baggy changing the proportions to a cartoon-like figure. Image-search google with keywords: hip hop cartoon.This became over the years independent and the short legs esthetics made them pulling the pants more and more down. I am asking myself: How does this person think about themselves, when he looks into a mirror? Showing underwear is quite old, coming from pop culture: What was the first band showing Calvin Klein underwear under their jeans in concert…?

Can´t understand clothes without confort. How can someone have a normal life with his pants all the time about to fall to the ground? Life is hard enough to, on top of it, live it defying the laws of physics due to a impossible self-imposed fashion code.It,s so stupid

for fashion lovers, i think you guys have a far too closed minded view on fashion that isnt your style.

Fair enough, i think this photo looks rediculous and he didnt really style this at all.

but, I have definately seen many,many,many people that can pull this off with skinny jeans and other clothes the compliment the style. you know, as long as you wear it into a style and your pants arent just falling off, i think awesome!! I'd give you examples if i could add pictures…

- that this has become a legal issue is completely stupid. we have more import/urgent things to save/solve in this world than baggy pants.

- is this beautifull/pretty/obsceen or not? it's just a fashion style like any other. just wait a few months/years and this will be all gone. This has nothing to do with the timeless Sartorialist style.

- finally/personally for me this just as "naked" as "The Unstoppable Anna Dello Russo, Milano"-picture from JULY 24, 2010 and she recieved 272 (mostly) positive comments. Or this comments are posted by a complete different group of persons OR we are all double-faced hypocrites.

I know i'll be hung for what i'm about to say but anyway: i don't see the difference between this awful look and someone covered in tattoos…Both are just not flattering and most of you curse one and cheer the other. We all let trends manipulate us: it's just a matter of repeating a look over and over again before people start finding it apealing…'Leggings' used to be considered not flattering at all no more than 5 years ago. The same with shoulder pads…and yet i find them quite cool now and the list of not flattering things we wear can grow endlessly…What the sartorialist has thought me so far is that some people can pull off the most weird looks and yet look 'appealing' or 'someone to be worth looking at'…All this said, i can't help seeing tattoos as stains!And i swear to you is not a psycological rejection but a esthetic one: ink just doesn't look good on skin, colours look bizarre and yet everyone finds them cool. Please tell me what i'm missing here 'cause i don't see the difference between them and this awful trousers.

Though I totally agree with the terrible aesthetic aspect of such pants (though I was a perpetrator of such fashion travesties in my youth). I once did a tad of research into it, and came up with this:

Disgusting!Tasteless!No way! It's a fashion crime! I don't even like dark underwear under white clothes, bra straps when wearing strapless dresses…so banal!PS- Commenting some views about Anna Dello Russo that I read earlier: I believe her look is amazing provided that it's her suimsuit under the lace dress and worn on holidays in a greek island!

As much as I absolutely HATE this look on guys, I still have to object to the screams of making this illegal and banning it, as well as those who point to low moral and level of education as a descibing factor of the people that go for this trend. A couple of posts down on this very blog, you will find Anna Dello Russo displaying her enitre underwear and nearly 300 comments from people declaring her a fashion genious. Why is that any different?

So if a guy spends a lot of money on a pair of high-wasted pants with buckles that make him look silly it's "edgy" and "fashionable"… But if a working class guy makes a heavily social and political fashion statement he's just "ignorant" and "sloppy"? Wow guys. Nice double standard.

Judging from all the borderline classist, racist, and bigoted comments I've read, I have my doubts that followers of this blog are really interested in "street fashion" at all. They seem far more interested in using fashion as a system of oppression then they do in celebrating a diversity of styles.

How are you going to make it illegal? I mean, I don't like it. And my boyfriend would get a smack if his jeans were down like that. But that's just me personally. People are different and they'll do different things. It's a bit much making it illegal. That's like saying you can't wear your hat sideways; it's illegal. Kind of stupid really. Let people dress how they want to dress.

1. This idea is not foreign to big fashion: Alexander McQueen invented the "bumster" trouser to display female butt cleavage.

2. Most fashion is referential to culture or lifestyle: denim jeans originated to be worn by people doing physical work. Now they are ubiquitous complete with pre-distressing to connote lifestyles which the vast majority of wearers have no relationship to.

3. The lightly veiled homophobia in some comments is pretty disgusting ("do they realize they look gay!!!" clearly indicates that being mistaken for being gay would be a tragedy).

And finally, the hypocrisy is stifling:

You same readers loved the "brave" "adventurous" Anna del Russo a few posts ago who was much more exposed than this fellow. To quote a reader here, "I would never been seen in public with someone dressed like [her], nor would I want to sit near [her] on the bus. Disgusting!"

Those who rag on the practicality of this look: stilettos are hugely impractical and physically damaging (how's that for an "easy IQ test") yet are totally embraced by big fashion/fashion-oriented people.

What if a woman who read this blog actually would be proud to be seen with a guy wearing his pants hanging off his hips? Perhaps she'd feel upset that one genre or fashion fad is being targeted as ugly, while others are not.

And yet wouldn't the situation be the same as someone feeling proud to walk with a man who wears a finely tailored suit? Is there any difference between the two, besides taste? Maybe so.

What makes so many people jump to the same conclusion that this style is ugly? What are the reasons that one wouldn't be proud to walk with someone who wears their pants this way?

What does an indication of class, status, wealth or race have to have to do with beauty or personal taste?

there have been overly revealing (some would say 'slutty') style for women for many years, so why not for men too?I'm from the UK and I'm really, really shocked at the amount of hateful, racist comments there are on that New York Post article. Shame on them all.

sorry fot the long post but, this is not a political statement of solidarity with people in prison. at the same time this is not a fashion trend that came out of having to wear hand me downs either.

the article is correct, the fashion comes from not being allowed to wear belts in prison because you can hang yourself or attack others with it. it's the same reason why so many people in the hip hop community took their shoe laces out of their shoes. you can't have shoe laces in prison.

when young men would get out of prison they would be used to wearing baggy clothes and it was also a sign that you had done time. only ex-cons wore clothes like that until it became cool to pretend you'd been to prison.

hip hop culture ran wild with this because prison culture sold more records than back pack culture did.

this trend has spilled over to skate culture which in turn influenced the last two generations of punk rock and "indie" culture. i actually see more young men with super skinny jeans falling off their rear end than men like the above picture.

there is a degree of "rebel without a cause" mentality to this type of dress because it does put them outside the mainstream even if they listen to the most popular music on the planet. this style says, "i don't play by your rules and i am dangerous." the vast majority of people like this would find it hard to be less dangerous but there is an air of bravado and bluff that comes with this style because they want to prove how tough they are. "my pants are saggin' yo. maybe i've been to prison or just watched 'boyz in da hood' too many times. you don't know me. i'm crazy."

i just wanted to clear the air here because i've seen too many posts by people that don't actually have a connection or proper understanding of where this style came from how it's been kept alive and why it's such a wide spread fashion trend.

while i'm not a fan of mcs like common or kanye i will say this, they have certainly done good things for the hip hop community fasion wise in so far as trying to bring a little more class and self respect back in style.

gee, can you tell that i've had a long standing personal investment in this culture haha.

literally the same day after I saw this picture posted I was waiting for tech support at the Apple Store on West 14th Street and saw someone park their bike with even more of their underwear showing as he padlocks his bike to a post. He then proceeds to pull up his pants, but just ever so slightly. That was most amusing…and I was like…why even bother? As he clearly intended to wear his pants this way.

How can a man walk in this? Doesn't he know how pathetic he looks running for a bus? How can a woman walk in platform stilettos? Doesn't she know how ridiculous she looks trying to walk to her limo? Doesn't this guy know that sagging his pants this much means he's available as a bottom in jail culture? Doesn't that woman know that wearing a white lace dress with nothing but black underwear underneath means she's a hooker in popular culture?

I wonder if some of the anonymous commenters are men on here. I think we all shy away from this kind of debate – why we do it? This is one of the questions I've always wanted to know why men wear these ugly football shirts that cost a lot of money especially during the World Cup match period. The shirt looks so awful with a huge NUMBER on them. One of the possible explanations for that is more than anything – some men do look for other male's approval. Stephen Bartlett, the fashion designer from NYC, once said that men would wear anything as long as you don't explain to them what it means.

I don't think that knowing the baggy jeans tradition or showing your pants come from the prison would stop them wearing their trousers like that.

Most men are shy away from looking for an explanation when it comes to look. We are not supposed to know these things. If you look at how many men commented on this post argued more about their disagreement with the issue of legalising the way people dress rather than expressing whether they agree or disagree.

At the end of the day, it all come down to the question of "What is normal?" What has the legitimate right to say what normal is? Wearing jeans like this or up the waist – what is normal?

As far as I'm concerned, I'm totally agreed when the Sartorialist once said somewhere before that for a guy to look smart, the easiest and cheapest option would be pulling their pants up! I second to that.

to each his own! this is a blog that celebrates personal style. i personally do not like this look, but lets not forget that many things that are now considered normal, were once considered rebellious and inappropriate. trousers on women, bikinis, jeans even!! people who love fashion and appreciate individual style and taste should know better than to criticize this guy…

Unacceptable? Eww? Appalling? A terrible look? It's a man, a person,some dude, not a mannequin for you to choose wetter look good or not. There are to many stuck up people trying to roll on a up town budget in this place! And you know most of you have to spend to months pay on one bag of your desire, and that is ridiculous. Do you know how much it cost to be good looking, it's hard I tell you, and most people in this world have no chance to follow your guidelines due to the fact that they are POOR! So be thankful for the joy good clothing can bring, but don't fuck up a hip hop brother just for dressing according to his identity or social standards(though this dude may be well of, some just wanna be certain ways)

My brother got struck by a van because he tripped on his baggy pants while ill-advisedly jaywalking. I have strutted in four to six inch heels in the streets of the former Soviet Union as part of daily attire, which is arguably just as perilous, and survived.

Having said that, even when fashion is potentially life threatening or a health hazard, there is little to no causation aside from a punchy headline where legality should be factored into fashion sense in spite of any blatant contradiction to common sense. (i.e. A belt isn't doing what it's supposed to if it's holding up your pants below your butt crack.)

The same way a woman shouldn't be made to feel shame for wearing a low cut top and showing her strategically placed undergarments, why can't a guy show off his boxers?

If he can walk confidently, with his head held up, and can accept (or be impervious to) the judgment of how he is being perceived by others, that holds merit. The same way a girl in a strapless mini-dress and towering heels will physically jump from the pavement into a SUV because she believes she still has a right to modesty.

Now having said that — would I give that guy my number? No. But there are others who would.

I don't have time to read 400 comments right now, and maybe someone else has said this, but my opinion is that this is one of the weirdest style crossroads that possibly exists.

The origins of baggy clothing in an urban environment as a style partly grew out of a self defense mechanism. If you're young and wearing baggy clothing it's because the clothes are hand-me-downs from a bigger older brother. People give you less trouble if they know you have a big older brother to back you up, and eventually even people without big older siblings start wearing the style.

But then skinny jeans came and rappers began wearing them and somehow the idea of having the clothing sag but be tight was "cool". It's really crazy to think about that evolution.

Personally and from what I've read people seem to agree, I don't think that saggy pants for men or young boys looks good in any shape of form. HOWEVER, no matter what we think this look is a part of an urban culture and if I had a friend who chose to dress this way I wouldn't stop being their friend because of that. Before we criticize, think about the natives in a place like Papau New Guinea where what they wear may not be "civilized" or normal to the western world. But, who says that isn't normal? Just remember that what looks strange to you may seem that way because of where you grew up or the people around you. Let's not be close-minded peeps!

Even though anyone with taste recognizes the stupidity of this, people still have the right to be, well, stupid.The government has much more important things to tend to then playing fashion police anyway.

What an interesting post! (love this blog, by the way). I agree with a few of the earlier comments – the pants define a particular cultural/urban identity. While I don't like this look (I also wear my pants, correctly), this is a style – but its not aimed at this audience, is it? That said, I think many people's outrage at his style is probably more a discomfort with what this young man stands for in urban America. The fact that is becoming a legal issue is very telling.

Wow this post really brought out the judgements. It is creepy to read these comments. Has anyone considered that our aesthetic sensibility is deeply related to our own class and racial sensibilities and that this post is basically an open call to let those fly?

I think you do much better when you talk in a positive way about what you *like*. It grosses me out for the sartorialist to be a place where people's ignorance and intolerance is given such free reign.

Don't ask your readers to speak for "guys" or "women." Everyone is different. Let people be.

Regarding "sagging" being acceptable if on the runway: It was tried, it died. Despite all the socio-economic political correctness defending it, yes, his right to look (and I think the majority of 411 commentors agree)like a clown, and other's right to say so. I wonder what the reaction (from women) would be if a woman exposed her panties/thong like this? Remember the ordinance against thongs on motorcycle passengers in Calif?

In my opinion, it looks trashy on a guy. I would not want to date a man who couldn't keep his pants on. Also, wouldn't that be uncomfortable walking around holding your pants up all day? I just don't understand.

The ironic thing is that I heard somewhere that this style of dress came out of the prison system where men who were already claimed as someone's bitch sagged their pants to indicate that they are "taken." This could be a wild urban myth but how repulsed would these young men feel at this fashion choice if it's the truth.

ehh…the battle continues on over the baggy pants debate…a legal issue definitely not, the way we dress is our expression. But it does come down to taste. It really isn't cute. and we always say "If it ain't cute, PUT IT ON MUTE!!"

We really don't want to be seen with guys wearing their pants below their rears. However, it's their right to adorn themselves in folly. The responsibility of forbidding saggy pants is up to their significant others!

I think this is just, in fact almost EXACTLY, the same as a woman walking around without a bra on. As a girl, I dont want to see someone's breasts knocking around like there's no tomorrow. That's why I look away. And if it's about 'women' in particular, shouldn't we be looking at this person's personality, if you're looking at them 'romantically' instead of how they dress? or at least their FACE? It's all about personal taste, and legal action is TOO FAR. maybe if that happens then there should be a rule about how much cleavage a woman should show. And to those people asking where and why this started I believe it's a kind of anarchy, a kind of I'm-so-cool-I-don't-need-to-have-my-pants-hitched-up-to-my-armpits-So-there-simon-cowell.I kind of like it. It's relaxed chic to the extreme… People probably find the longer skirts of f/w 10 ugly, and there are no doubt reams of pages in magazines which your average Joe would look at and say 'ergh'

This look says "Officer-I-am-ready-to-go back-to-jail-since-I-never-learned how-to-assimilate-into-society-the-first-time-I-was-let-out." This screams disrespect for others and the inability to retain good wits about yourself. I would kick someone out of my establishment if he came in demanding service looking like this. Purely offensive. Take my expert opinion, this is not how most Blacks with sense dress themselves.

It obviously doesn't look good but then again when I watch some of Lady Gaga's outfits I'm thinking.."why are they not arresting her hand her crotch…?"lol I guess it is ok when you have 10 000 people watching you but not in the street..Anyway… Just being silly.

Funny how everyone gets SO worked up over this man displaying his underwear but when a woman is wearing nothing more than a few shreds of clothing, you're suddenly "prude" or "offended by the human body" if you point out how it doesn't look very classy or something. These double standards make me furious.

So Anna Dello Russo can wear a dress with her knickers exposed but a guy with his exposed gets a ticket? If that's the case then Ms. Dello Russo should have rec'd a ticket as well. I agree the look is tacky but if this is what he thinks is chic then so be it.

I understand where this trend came from and wonder if they have any self respect. I dream of saying to these guys and kids, do you realize how ridiculous you look! You would be 100 times more attractive if you would pull up your pants. I also dream of them being in a situation where they have to run. I am frankly sick of it.

yes it looks horrible, shabby, indecent, and gives that cold-stone impression 'gangster' but who are we to tell what people should wear? why spend a million dollars on designer clothing with that money could help with poverty? YOU shouldn't judge, he might no even have the money to purchase decent clothes, or this is how he expresses himself in this world, to feel a sense of belonging, i particularly don't like girls who wear g-strings with pants 'low rider' i can see their cracks, lady gaga attire with just strips of fabric to be honest just 'blur' her private parts,

Like an earlier poster said, this is another element of our society which was glorified by those who either were in or knew and admired those in prison and unfortunately it went mainstream. There is a huge segment of girls who love this…I should know as I taught in an east L.A. high school for many, many, many years. I don't find it cool or attractive. I don't see it as "racial" because all colors of people wear this style. Rather I see it as retarded as the fools who persist on sagging. Those who wear this style successfully wear the adjustable clip-closing belt which is tightened and the pants are generally pleated (Dickies brand)- of course you can now buy the jeans which are made for this style of wearing – check out the HUGE pockets on these to see that they are styled for this. There is no accounting for taste.

My father grew up in Chicago as an educated white hippyish guy. He lived in a poor neighborhood for a long time as a young man and left for a year to attend school in Florida. When he came back the kids in his neighborhood gave him wide berth and gave up messing with his car. On day he cornered a kid and asked him why. The kid asked him where he had been and my father answered Florida. Oh! You been in ____ (insert famous state prison). No one would believe that he had been going to school because no one ever left the neighborhood except to go to prison. Just by leaving, my completely legally clean dad got street cred and thus afforded an amount of protection. Why wouldn't dressing as if you had been to prison be a good idea to protect yourself and be attractive to women (you could potentially protect her)? It's all culturally relevant.

Besides Micheal (10:51am) plays the devil's advocate but he hits the nail on the head. I have occasionally seen this look done well as coordinated layers: clean dark jeans worn with patterned boxers and a nice shirt. It can look very sharp, yes the guy maintains the swagger innate to wearing a waistband that low, but women in high heels and very tight pencil skirts have a distinct gait as well. It's not particularly attractive to me but neither are some of the other looks featured here.

On numerous occasions I have had the great, spontaneous delight of seeing a young demi-pantsed man of working-to-middle-class-origin fall haplessly onto a bus or find himself caught in a cafe chair, all due to the inherent comedic genius of the sagging pants. It can only be out of spite that The Man is trying to take that kind of sunshine out of my life.

Much like the many middling-to-wealthy people who tune into this blog, my Aged Parent is a lawyer. Over time, he has come to the view that a fundamental point of the law in a capitalist society is to criminalize being poor. That being the case, the sagging pants must of necessity be a source of justice system revenue and justification. TINA.

To each his own, its understandable that people don't like this look, and it is also understandable that people do like this. You do realize though that what your actually looking at, isn't any different then if he was to be wearing tight, form fitting slacks. Many of the men pictured on this blog can be seen wearing pants MUCH tighter than his actually briefs, so as far as all of the "disgusting" comments I'm SMH.

Why bother wearing pants at all? And what exactly is the purpose of the belt? I mean, if I thought these guys had the smarts to understand irony…but somehow, I don't think that's what they're going for. Although, it is beyond me what exactly it is they ARE going for here. How is this macho, exactly? All it says to me is "I am an idiot. I don't know enough to pull up my pants. I think it's cool to take baby steps because I'm inhibited by my pants which roughly fall under my butt cheeks."

Could you elaborate why guys FEEL this is a macho thing? It certainly isn't. Just not someone I would like to be seen with. I want a man who looks tailored and suave, someone who looks like he can protect me without me feeling like a piece of meat.I don't want a man who can't even get dressed properly let alone be a proper partner.

In reading some of the comments above, I'm a little shocked at the harsh criticism of not only this man's choice of look, but his character as well. Fashion is as much about culture as it is about personal choice and expression. This man was raised in an entirely different culture system than most people who enjoy this blog. While I personally don't agree or approve of this look, I allow grace for the fact that he is just expressing himself in the way he knows and what is familiar and accepted in his close community.We would not be this quick to judge a choice of garment by an African tribesman in the bush… to me, this picture is about a sub-culture within our greater community. Like it or not, it helps make up who we are as a whole, and indeed serves to make the truly "stylish" stand out.

There are so many intolerant and ignorant people writing here. How can some of you possibly get from the way he dresses to his intelligence, his supposed machoism, his behaviour towards women and – the other way round – to the so called stupid women fancying him? This. Is. Just. Fashion. If you like it or not is a completely different issue.Certainly, he would look better in tight fitting trousers, but can't you see he has beautiful shoulders? That he walks with grace?Fashion is sometimes so overestimated.

cultural difference… i don't do it, but others do, so let them be. I'm surprised to see so many people so eager to attack, when this is a fashion blog that should, after all, be open to different ways of dressing. Also, those who say that women find it unattractive, you're most probably correct, but not everyone dresses to suit the opinions of others.

apparently this style was developed, or appropriated from…or whatever, this style of wearing your pants down low came from black/hispanic gangs in LA. I've been told that the reason they wore their trousers so low was that they were often wearing hand me downs that were too big for them, whether this is true or not I'm not sure. It's funny that it actually looks crisp on a cholo lowrider, crisp chinos with a popped cuff, white socks, over sized white t shirt, check shirt…but in the hands of a down town moron who is trying to make a statement…just a bit embarrassing really.BUT. Vive le difference x

One arrest does not signify a movement to make anything illegal. It was a decision made by an individual who clearly didn't like this "expression" of thought. I thought the ruling to let it go the right one. This issue of freedom to look the way you want reminds me of my dear mother, who when seeing me leave the house in white lipstick in the mid 60's calmly said, "If you want to look like a cadaver, well that's your business." It was a subtle way to get me to think about what I was doing. Much more effective than passing a law against it.

Well, to be honest… I like when everyone has his/her own style and stuff… but I do hate the kind of people who dresses that way (my boyfriend likes to put on a tank top and jeans in the summer, but his ass isn't for sale like that). I think, and most of the time also see that when you dress that way, you just want to get attention. And not always in a good way. When I get out of the subway, sometimes there are groups of those guys "hanging" around and looking at girl… all of them look disgut of them (or look away).

So my answer is: no, hate it, and when i see the underpants…. imagine if there are still marks of… you know (bathroom).

I love it. This has been going on for decades and there obviously must be some women that like it if all these men keep doing it. It cures my curiosity of wondering what king of underwear they have on and whether or not they have a nice ass.

it looks ridiculous, but honestly no more ridiculous/uncomfortable than some women's fashions. as a woman, I dislike it but feel I am in no real position to judge, having worn some pretty ugly stuff myself. just sayin

I'm astonished for such number of conservative opinions… Personally I don't like this pants, but I wouldn't say that's indecent, or the guy that is wearing them is fool. And of course, when a man has what I look for, I don't care about what he's wearing, I feel confident enough to go out with anyone who interests me. I met stupid people who were very fashionable and knew how to dress well. And fashionable ones who were lovely people. So the same for this guy. Let's recover common sense, for god's sake.

It takes MUCH to be different these days and this is the sad attempt of some misguided youth! Its dreadful but it gets a response—good or bad– its the response theyre after!—and mine is GROSS!! DISGUSTING. Jack

I hate when guys wear their pants that way and it's not attractive at all. I actually wrote my exam paper in gender studies on sagging pants. It's funny how it went from be illegal to show off your underpants to it being a trend to it being illegal again. But no matter how ugly it is I never think you should forbid how someone chooses to dress. They would never forbid the muslim burqa would they?

i find it silly in the way that i find shoes that you cannot walk in silly – but some of those shoes can be quite aesthetically pleasing. clothes should function and look good, this look – in my opinion – fails on both counts. however, its precursor, baggy, hip slung jeans with an underwear waistband sneaking out i can deal with… somehow it just got out of hand.

Wow, so many responses about this…I don't think it should be illegal, unless the lawmakers are trying to make 'looking stupid' illegal!! If these pants drop any lower the guys won't be able to walk down the street – not due to embarrassment, but simply because they'll be physically impeded by their trousers around their ankles!

When I see a person dressed in a certain manner, I tend to treat that person according to the way they present themselves.When I see someone dressed in this "gangsta" manner, I assume they are criminals and react accordingly.Shallow, but that's the way the (or my )world works.

No, no, no! I don't find this look attractive at all. Many of my junior high students wear their pants like this. I've actually overheard some say they are just too lazy to pull up their pants when they fall down! yikes! I hope the trend dies out soon.

Despite what many of us may feel, the fact is that the young man wearing his pant this way is not viewing a blog such as this. Style is truly set by those in the eye of the public; perhaps we can convince some of the hip hop world to address such an issue….

What is with this style…. and we have a generation of young men with ruined backs from the way they have to walk to try and keep their pants from slipping further. Please please let this no longer be 'fashionable' by the time my boys reach that age.

Reminds me of the 80's. There were some really bad style choices then, too. When I watch these young men walk in those falling off/low-riders, they waddle. Much worse then I did when I was pregnant. To each their own.

He wants to wear his pants below his arse; I dont want to wear bras with silk shirts. We are entitled to our expression of what we believe is "fashion." We wear what we wear as an expression and a means of attracting those whom we assume to appreciate it (and for warmth, for those who don't live in the glory of California.) Just as all else involving human beings, or life in general, it's subjective. don't limit or judge. you're all ugly and beautiful to someone, and diversity is key to thriving civilizations.

Sometimes I feel better, when I see that some world fashion trends never attack my country (Bulgaria). These guys are not everywhere, they just don't exist. And still, it's a pitty we don't have such debate, it would be interesting.

Even though I am not a fan of this trend, i feel like most people over here turned nazis!?

I mean this is just a fashion trends whether we like it or not.

Yes it has been inspired by prisonners but has since evolve.

Now you can see blacks, white, hispanic, asian (yep go to japan or china its there as well).

It doen't make the wearer stupid, poor, uneducated. Some high end brand such as Evisu (£300 for a pair of saggy jeans) made of this trend their target.

The only thing that you could assume of this guy is that he's likely to like hip hop. That's all!!

It's scary to see how people who like fashion can suddently turn intolerant and borderline racist when on the other side you are all applauding Anna's knickers in her transparent lace dress??? Nobody will say that she should cover up a bit.

At least we don't have to look at his bare backside (he is technically covered). If people want to dress like this and look stupid that's their right, but it's not sexy! When I see people dressed like this the lower their pants, the lower I assume their IQ. Of course they could all be geniuses, but their sartorial choices make it hard to believe.

i don't particularly like it when it's that low, but i think it's ridiculous to try and outlaw a style of dressing- it's just a case of people in power seeing something they don't like personally, so they try and make up a law to ban it.it's stuffy, nitpicky and silly.

For the ones who said that this trends comes from prisonners you're right !

But it has nothing to do with homosexuality or hiding weapons…

It comes from the fact that in prisons no belts are allowed (to prevent suicide and all) and the prisoners had their pants naturally sagging… (obviously not that low…)

Then when the guys came out they brought that "trend" into the streets.

Saggy pants are part of the hip hop history (again it wasn't that low).

To Anonymous who has lived in japan and france. Well I have never lived in Japan but if you check out japanese hip hop video you will find those style worn by japanese guys who are far from being gangsters. And saying you haven't seen this pants in France…?? Hum Go and have a walk around Chatelet in Paris…!

This picture should be jugged as a fashion pictures not as some kind of criminal record…

There is nothing stylish, handsome or cool about this look. Guys wearing this and attempting to walk look as though they experiences a severe lack of bowel control. Pull them up boys, not sexy at all.

I once witnessed a young guy whose jeans ended up at his feet while sporting this look. The best thing about this poor young mans humiliation was that it gave everyone else a good morning laugh that probably saw them through the rest of the day.

i heard that the baggy pants come from inmates where the submissive inmate had to wear his pants down for his "owner" to …you can continue to imagine. i wonder how many of the young boys out there know where this trend started from? so why anyone dresses like this, i do not know.

I live in Chicago. You can't throw a rock without hitting someone who is sagging. It's so revolting. No one with an ounce of dignity or common sense would do this unless they're like 13 years old. I see grown men walk around like this and it's gross. Especially if their underwear is stained.

I'm from Brooklyn. At one point I wore my own pants that way-but not for long. I didn't find it very comfortable. It looks stupid & no one will take someone who dresses that way seriously, but there really isn't much you can do about it. Its a person's right to dress that way. What if transvestites were to get summonses for cross-dressing because it offends a police officer?

This type of fashion is prevelant among the hip-hop community. Unfortunately this fashion is derived from prison culture; which again unfortunately has become glorified in hip-hop. When you go to prison they take your belt away, therefore your pants sag. Some how it transcended into a style outside the prison walls. While i think "sagging" isnt stylish at all “Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.”-Gore Vidal

Your question is not really relevant to this picture.They way he's wearing his pants is not fundamentally a fashion issue. HE is not concerned with fashion. He is concerned with social drama using clothing as his medium. Just because clothing is involved does that automatically make an issue one of style? I say no. It is telling that the law feels it's appropriate to get involved. This is a social "fabric" issue.

Lady Gaga — who is in "show" business — does NOT wear her concoctions on the street. (Actually, she wore an outrageous pair of platform boots in a public place and promptly fell on her face in front of the paparazzi.)

These guys are pushing the envelope of public space. Society — and the law — gets to say how much anyone can do that.Is this attractive? This guy would laugh at that question. Attraction of attention and everyone's repulsive reaction is precisely what he's going for. So yes, it is attractive — the way HE intends it to be.

it's part of a culture, however ridiculous it may seem to some. Its not just about the pants, its about the swagger, the walk/strut. I remember I came up in a part of society where it was all about matching. Where you couldnt wear silver with gold, or brown with black, who makes these things up? If i wear fitted jeans, not even skinny jeans, i still get ish from my friends that ask if "my circulation is okay?" I was giving an xl jacket by an uncle that thought it looked great on me, im a smedium at best! who are we to judge these fashions, or make legislation to cut off a peoples mode of expression. I mean that is what it is ins't it? Why don't women have to wear bras? or is there a such things as a too mini skirt? NO! I mean look at the American Apparel ads plastered everywhere, that may be pornography to some, art and expression to others….Let people be.

A guy I met (who had spent some time in prison a long time ago) said that this "look" originated in prison years ago. According to him, the droopy pants were a sign that you were…"available" to other prisoners.So much for the idea of machismo behind this.

I'm all for "expressing" oneself but when it borders on being lewd, I think it disrespectful to others and to yourself. Also, this just looks plain bad! To me, it's the equivalent of folding your socks over your shoes so that they show.

well i think its silly to make this a legal issue. and i have no interest in telling a guy he can't or shouldn't wear pants this way. it's not my business. BUT, i agree with most commenters that it does nothing for me as a woman. it makes me roll my eyes, in fact. macho is not the message i get.

I think you're asking the wrong crowd. No doubt, most commenters here hate this. I've read through enough comments to get that. But the other thing I haven't seen (and if I've missed it, my apologies) is the other implications from the prison – which is to identify yourself as "available" to potential partners.

Back to the crowd thing.

I work in a public high school in the midwest and I have tired of having to enforce our rules which are explicit in stating 'no sagging'. It's gone on for years and so I finally asked the girls (not the guys wearing it – they couldn't really tell me why they do it) if they find it attractive.

It was overwhelmingly YES. They liked it on the boys. They didn't bother the girls and they said it wasn't slovenly or disgusting. It was a style and they liked it. I found that to be fascinating.

I am surprised at the level of venom directed at those that choose to dress this way.

Do I like this style? In almost all circumstances, NO.

Do I think it should be made a crime to dress like this? Absolutely NOT.

People should be allowed to dress as they want to. And I am sure that many of us have, at different times in the past, worn something or dressed in some way that, in hindsight, we probably shouldn't have (because it was the thing to do at the time). That's just a part of life and growth.

I live in NYC and everyday on the streets I see many, many things that cause second and third glances in passing – tattoos, body piercings, hair styles, hair colors, makeup, obvious toupees and wigs, comb overs, see through material, very tight, very loose, very baggy, very short, sometimes almost non existent clothes and just about anything else you can think of. Sometimes I feel like I want to laugh. Sometimes I flinch involuntarily. Often I just want to smile. But every time I accept and understand that each of us has the right to express ourselves as we please.

There are so many problems that the government truly needs to address in this world. Dictating whether somebody has too much underwear showing seems to be such a ridiculous waste of time.

Just for the record, this is the first time that I have commented on this blog. I really enjoy your work and looking at the photos. This particular topic just prompted me to comment.

"obviously everyone who reads the sartotialist is not going to agree with ignorant style"

absurd. love sartorialist but it rarely highlights the more "street" and urban fashion elements that some men interested in style grew up with and are interested incorporating into their own personal style. i am not ignorant of the worlds of fashion or style. now, i don't wear my (impeccably fitted) jeans below the bottom of my butt like in said picture, but i don't have them roped to my waist either. and i know i look good. or at least my girl tells me so, and she tells me when i look bad.

Government's job is to protect its citizens. This style is eye polution, but doesn't endanger anyone. While I don't want government to dictate what I wear, common sense says this style hampers normal movement, (as do high heels, actually), so makes you question the judgement of the wearer, or lack thereof.

I've noticed a lot of people saying that this is about "class." They don't think this guy has any.

DUDES, it's about the other kind of class – as in socioeconomic. Sure, we can all sit here being bourgie and disdainful of the gangster, but you really think he cares what a bunch of middle/upper-class fashionistas think?

Fashion and aesthetics generally are not universal. It's a cutural thing: some people think this looks good (I'm not a fan, for the record), but I bet those people aren't reading this blog.

I could see a legal debate, but as a matter of taste, do you really expect a debate among readers on this? Your audience — fans of the bespoke, the tailored, the timeless and European — are not going to love this very American look (despite the fact that it has endured at least a couple decades).

I commented, moved on, then I saw "The Unstoppable Anna Dello Russo, Milano." A lady with all of her underwear entirely visible. I see a couple others have made the same observation, but most people seem to have jumped to attack this man's taste, while initial comments for Anna called her "divine." I'm sure people can make the comparison and come up with their own commentary on inequality between genders, races, and classes. But this is a fashion blog, and so I think it's most appropriate if we remember that fashion is a form of self-expression — it doesn't really matter whether strangers love or hate your look.

"Sagging began in prison, where oversized uniforms were issued without belts to prevent suicide and their use as weapons. The style spread through rappers and music videos, from the ghetto to the suburbs and around the world."

Let the man wear what he wants as long as his junk isn't hanging out. It is not the courts that should decide fashion.

While this is far from my style, there are people who make this look better than what this guy does in this picture. I am not saying they look good, but at least they don't look like they might have woke in the gutter.

whether you like it or not the average american male believes lower slung pants look good/"cool." some american males are interested in fashion and style but also in acknowledging where they came from, who their friends are and what is acceptable and expected in their community – and incorporating that into their personal style. i sag my pants (though never this low). i love my personal style, and plenty of fashionable women seem to as well. sometimes, fashion bubbles up from the lower class. the first blue jeans were for miners.

the close-mindedness on this topic is appalling. and as has already been pointed out, full of unattractive racial and class overtones that are not becoming of this otherwise fantastic site with a positive and accepting worldview.

I did the low-riding (as we called it in New Zealand) for a few years in my mid-teens, often accompnied by an upside down and sideways visor and a baggy hoddie. Seeing guys doing it now doesn't bother me at all….in fact I think it's quite hott. I think girls in hott pants, short skirts or with the 'tits on a plate' look with too much cleavage look is way more disgusting and offensive than guys showing their underwear. Maybe that's cuz I'm gay though.

i think it looks silly, but i get plenty of comments about my heels and i see more women who can't walk in theirs than men holding up their saggy, saggy pants. also, have to add that i work in a special education preschool in the bronx and let me tell you, the boys are wearing them. in PRESCHOOL.

Everyone should be free to wear their underwear how they want, however, big however: it looks uncomfortable, just like high heel sandals and bare legs in the middle of winter, or a full chador in the middle of summer. And uncomfortable is the opposite of attractive.

well, it's actually NOT a legal issue. the judge (correctly) ruled that the guy can wear his pants as he wishes.

on the look itself, it is funny to read comments like "everyone I know hates it etc etc". Anyone that guy knows probably like this style and probably does the same. so this is just not an argument. What is, on the other hand, is that they can barely walk and that, unlike the inmates they are mimicking, they wear (and desperately need) a belt to avoid the pants dropping on their ankles.

A macho???Please!!!I'm from Spanin and this is not a "machoman!. It's auful!!!Years ago it was a way to make a revolution but in this days it's not cute and not revolutionary!But…I respect all the ways to express own "point of life".

I don't like it either, but the most interesting thing for me, is how the comments that this picture provoked. I think it says a lot about us as viewers–mostly our class and probably our race as well. I thiink it would be really interesting to hear from more people who really like this look. I'd like to know what they see.

Please, let's all do our civic duty and politely remind this gentleman to check himself as his pants seem to have apparently fallen down and the greyed and rather tatty undergarments on display will not do much for his advancement in the world. Quite seriously infantile, at best. At worst…he should be arrested and taught how to not to forsake good taste over displays of saggy buttocks.

Have you ever noticed the way young guys'll leave the stickers on their clothes–pants, hats–and keep their shoes squeaky clean? It's stylish now, but back in the day, it was 'cause the kids couldn't afford to buy new clothes every season, so they kept them clean to return later for store credit. Super baggy tees? Because the only place they could afford to go was K-Mart, where the tees are always over-sized. The way so many young guys wear hats with flat, unworn rims? Again, it started as a way for them they to return em later. And then the prison thing with baggy pants.

What's fascinating about all of it is the way the aesthetic derives from misfortunes that begin as shame: shame that you can't afford a shirt that fits, that you can't afford new clothes every season, that you're in prison, etc, but then becomes re-appropriated as a signifier of pride.

Doesn't it seem, generally speaking, that high fashion has a peculiarly hierarchical tinge to it? Aesthetic cues coming from the top and trickling down?

Baggy pants are just one part of a larger aesthetic of rebellion against high-class fashion, a long evolution of street wear going back to before the times of the zoot suit–in it's time, an equally derided fashion statement.

I wouldnt wear my pants this, but NO ONE has the right to disagree with someones style prefernces, remember style is personal! We identify with our own style, these guys clearly identify with this look. Good on them, each to there own!!!!! Difference makes the world go round and IS THE CORE BEAUTY OF FASHION!

I recently moved from the US to Europe and must say I'm thrilled not to see this horrible, sloppy style over here. Perhaps if women unite and refuse to date/be seen with a man looking like this, the fad may die for good. It's about time.

When I was young, I was very skinny & needed a belt to hold up my pants – if said belt went missing, the pants would pool at my ankles – Question: how do they keep 'em up without looking like they just got off a horse?

I think this looks ridiculous, but on the contrary I think it also looks ridiculous when guys wear skinny jeans that could fit their 5 year old brother. I like a good, slightly baggy fit on my guy.

I love in South Africa, and I'm sure some people are so poor that they would just like a new pair of jeans. So I suppose this is why I think its ludicrous that your government is wasting time making laws about pants?? (Hehe Don't attck me for saying that :))

Anon 12:57, thanks for voicing what I was thinking. Clothing is used for many different ends. This style is an act of rebellion, or, more thoughtfully, of resistance. It may not be my style, but I recognize it as a statement of what set of cultural norms this person chooses to identify with, and not. I doubt it's the same set as the majority of readers of this blog, so, of course, readers hate it.I didn't know that the style had originated in prisons. Makes sense, and certainly adds a different perspective to how we see this style. Thanks, commenters, for clarifying that. Sartorialist, perhaps you can post more not-quite-mainstream styles like this in the future, and ask for commenters to write what they know about their origins. They're productive conversations about how or society uses clothing to express identity (and how meaning may get lost in the process).

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!Of course people can dress the way they want but I never understood why guys felt comfortable with their @$$es hanging out. Bad impression; it's also sloppy and immature.

the best thing about this look is how much debate it has caused right here. This certainly isn't my choice but it is wonderful that we live in a time where others CAN make this choice and wear it. That we have that much freedom of choice. Now that really is a wonderful thing.

Personally it's much sexier to see the top band of a guys unders and not the whole backside …much the same as women who get the girls out just a bit too much is tacky.

I love hip hop culture but there's nothing sexy about that look. Guys that wear their pants like that give the impression of having no respect for themselves and probably not for anyone else. They seem to be wearing them lower and lower too. What next? Pants down around the ankles, then no pants? Still, I'm not sure making it a legal issue is entirely necessary….

I don't like this look, but I think the attempts to regulate it are really attempts to regulate black/latino/hip-hop/nonwhite culture (and, by extrapolation, the men who belong to the above groups), and that is unacceptable.

People should wear what they please. If the rest of us don't like it, we can avert our eyes.

Seriously?!!There is something so very wrong with this "style" or shall we say "trend".What is going on here and how do men walk out of the house after looking in the mirror and seeing this staring back at them?Appauling!Stop the insanity already.

intriguing… especially the suggestion as to the jailbird origins of this anti-fashion statement of sorts… fascinating discussion… but illegal? certainly not, unless the underwear is lacking, i suppose… then again, is wearing underwear in public legal…? in ontario, canada, it is legal for women to go topless… bottom line …imho, looks very odd, including the resulting waddle, badass notwithstanding ;)

I think it is horrible! U know, I am a two teenager boys mother and one og them, the 17th one, sometimes does wear those kind of pants, but not too exagerated like this guy… My son says he likes to wear his jeans very low waist but only to the point of showing some "cool" fashionable underwear, like Armani or CK… Other than this it is freaky and weird, he says.

I'm kind of torn. In this case with the tank and the colors he used… not really loving it. However, I see plenty of guys who sag but don't flash boxers, iron their tees and jeans every day, meticulously polish their kicks and coordinate their look pretty well. Its not for everyone, but it works for some.

I don't like mans' boxers showing. But I think it's all rigt as long as it's only their underwear that's showing. I saw someone who had his pants about as far down as the man in the picture, but he didn't wear any underwear. That is bad. Oh, and at least they should wear NICE boxers.

*Men* (read *boys*) who walk around like this seem to be saying they care about one thing only: to let their pants down at a moment's notice to do whatever duties nature intends. In fact, why not just leave `em down? Less effort! Come on, this look is offensive and tells the world the wearer is a piece of trash who is disrespectful of others and himself. It should be illegal.

Women show their underwear all the time – bra straps, thong bands, etc. So we really can't complain about men doing it. The more you show your undies, the more you want sexual attention. So just look at these crass spectacles for what they are – not statements of fashion but statements of need.

This baggy look is not just offensive to most women but most guys as well!!!! To me it's says allot about that persons general outlook – no self respect (and for that matter no consideration for others in society! Poor!!

I'm always wondering, if a time/motion study was done, how much time in their day is spent just preventing the pants from falling all the way off, to the street, and them tripping over themselves. If only you could capture that on camera for us!

At least it tells me something about the wearer: that they are mindless enough to eat up a laughable trend like this and that they are not creative enough to come up with anything better like, um– an actually well fitting normal pair of trousers. Gee, that was hard.

I swear to God, a few years back I saw a man-boy wearing a pair of shorts that were so oversized that I could see the bottom hem of his boxer-shorts. THAT is how low they were. I don't understand.. how do they run?

Agree with Vir Beatum, making it a legal issue is an utter waste of taxpayer money and definitely more attention than they're worth. I suspect it's really all about getting up everybody else's nose, so the more we react, the more we 'support' the phenomenon. I mean, people who 'wear' their pants that way can surely see for themselves that they look ridiculous, as if they pooed in their nappies? And for the rest of us, it makes easy identification of whom to avoid.

I don't realize why people have such a strong opinion about this. It looks awkward, but so do many other fashion trends. To each their own. It's a silly (albeit long lived) trend, but will die out naturally. Do we need the law to protect us from poor fashion? It is no more revealing then a lot of women's clothing, which seems to be far more acceptable. I think it's a non issue. There must be some women out there who dig it. I'd say at least a hundred.

It really dies depend on the look you are running. If Chinos with a shirt and blazer, then NO! But if you are chasing more of a street aesthetic, a pair of skinny worn in raw blue denim jeans worn low, rolled up with a pair of beat-up vans with a longer, slim, scoop neck tee shirt and crew-neck sweater and a snap-back vintage baseball cap, the look is quiet appealing. Maybe not The Satorialist look, but nonetheless appealing if worn correct. (Just don't show your underpants!)

I haven't read all the comments here so forgive me if I repeat, but sagging originated in prisons. It means you are available. If you want the young men you know to pull up their pants I find that fact very effective.

I think that if you wear them just a little low – not at all like in the photograph- and with a nice pair of classy plaid boxers, it can look sexy and add some color to the otherwise standard white T-shirt and khaki shorts look that young men tend toward in the hotter months. Is it chic? No. Is it sometimes sexy if they have a nice bum? Yes.

So many of these comments show an audience of Sartorial readers out of touch with a socioeconomic class; both genuine and emulated. Sagging pants is much more of a cultural and generational statement than one of fashion. I live in the midwest and see small town kids sagging skinny leg jeans and urban kids with Dickie shorts down to their ankles. I think the look is one of non-conformity, showing a commitment, or resignation to a life of uneducated poverty. To ask the individual or encourage the subculture to pull up their pants is futile, though a certain congressman from NY has a youtube video that makes a compelling request for young men to abandon this practice.

Like the song goes: "lookin like a fool with your pants on the ground".

It appears to be a popular look here in New Zealand and not one that I personally go for. Not so much due to the aesthetics of it, but more from the sheer astonishment of how freakin uncomfortable and awkward it must be.

However, it does give me a good laugh when you see the guy frantically clutch at his pants 'cause they suddenly start creeping down further than intended. And watching that walk – priceless!

Surely it’s going to be one of those "what were we thinking" moments later in their lives.

This so-called fashion has been around for decades now and no matter how I try to look at it, the same question always comes up in my mind and that I'm always tempted to ask these guys: HOW is this cool???

I am always thrown off when I see this. It just feels like "too much information". You can debate that using a bra as an accessory is similar…but bras are pretty and sexy, can't say the same about a** cracks.

Seriously now, it really just doesn't matter at all. In any way. Like i wouldn't do this myself but i genuinely just don't care what everyone else wears at all. people should just be allowed to do what they want and if this is what they want then so be it.

when i see guys wearing their pants like this, it makes me sick. it is so totally repulsive, insensitive to others and so far from anything attractive, it's absurd. hopefully there is or will be a law against this; it should be called "indecent exposure", for sure!!!!

Not many people seem to appreciate this look, I see… It used to be that their pants were just hanging very low on their hips, now they have descended to below their ass!!! It makes them look ridiculous… they walk around like ducks… what in hell's name makes them think they look even remotely attractive? It baffles me!! I cannot tell you how many times I have had the urge to creep up behind them and yank their trousers down… I'll probably be at less risk of physical abuse if I wait until I'm a pensioner, though;

let's be honest: people who want to criminalise this style really just have a problem with young men of color, and lower class youth, and see this demographic as inherently "uncultured." There are also a lot of implied associations being made in these comments about this look and "juvenile delinquency"… is that because you think men of color are untrustworthy?

Trying to ban this style is not only classist, but smacks of racist discrimination.

I'm from Belgium and In my highschool the boys wear their pants like that (only their underwear is more pretty!). And they really think it's cool and that we, girls, like to look at it, that we think it's sexy! But we don't think that at all! It's 'too much'. We, girls, like subtle and when something is subtle it can't be sexy enough!

People are going overboard with their comments. It is a sub-culture, just like the hippies and whatever else subculture that has existed throughout human history. Please do not be small-minded about this. And its not like they are exposing their bodies indecently. Let's be open-minded. Just like every subculture, it will diminish with the coming generation. Fashion after all is a generational thing. Don't hate, just try to understand.

Didn't realize it is now a legal issue, I'll read the article in a sec. Hmm, don't like this look and never will. It is beyond unattractive and rather uncomfortable looking too. Not sure if it should be illegal because how is this worse than a young lady wearing next to nothing.

I do not think this is attractive at all but clothing is a form of self expression. I say, one can wear whatever suits their personal taste. However, the way people perceive you is the way you will be treated and if you dress like a prisoner that is how you will be perceived.

Young men need to realize that this is not always appropriate an if they want to be taken seriously this not the way to do it.

There seem to be a few homophobic people posting comments here. What a shame. The flavour of this blogsite has always seemed so inclusive.In regards to the question of whether or not it is fashionalbe, am I the only one who objects to the long stringy hair more than the low rider jeans?

How is this ANY different from women walking around in see-through lace with visible bras? Or bare midriffs? I think that makes less sense and actually poses a greater "threat" than sagging pants, because visible bras and bare midriffs increase the probability of unwanted seducation/attention, and then you've got tons of women reporting harrassment and not knowing what for! Why isn't there any controversy over that then, huh? Or thongs visible at the tops of low rise jeans? Grow up, open your minds, and move on, folks!For the record, a man in sagging pants looks more handsome, confident, and genuine than anyone–man or woman–in those horrid skinny jeans!

Most grown men I know that do this to attract other men not women!!!!! It is very Homo thug to walk around with skin tight underwear and saggy pant below your butt then you wear a tight belt to enlarge your butt..

"Kiki Mays" said,"I think every person has the right to express him and herself. What's our freedom of choice." And "choppie" asked, "Where did this "style" start?"The "Saggy Pants" look originated in California prisons. It implied that the wearer was available for quick casual sex. He could drop his pants in a flash with just a wiggle. So anyone wearing "saggies" can be attributed to pure IGNORANCE. If they knew its true connotation, I think they would think twice before exposing such eyesores in public or advertising their availability to passing strangers. Cheers, Dean

I think the major issue is the impracticality of wearing your pants this way. I would think it difficult to run from the cops with your pants falling down, and I'm conflating wearing your pants this way and potentially needing to run from the cops. I'm just sayin'.

it's origin is not macho in the least, unless you consider being incarcerated a "macho" thing. why young men insist on this style is beyond my comprehension and i really, truly wish they would STOP IT.

to be honest i dont think of it as a good look. however it is the same concept as getting a suit fitted. you buy the suit yet you chose to tailor it to your own style. this man has bought his jeans as to wear them like this, if he wishes to he may, who's to say this mans backside is more or less attractive then the ankle that shows on a thom browne tailored suit.as for it being a legal issue, doesn't freedom of speech cover what you wear?

It's all relative. Probably not to your average skinny white high fashion "if its not me, it's not cool" blog reader. But there's a lot more people in the world than just them. And might I add way more interesting

Personally I am a 27 yr old Latino man. I dont understand how this is a comfortable or even slightly attractive look. I feel like these individuals dont feel the need to make progress and change their "style" or whatever they wanna call it. I use to wear baggy close a really long time and it the cool thing to do. But I feel like people need to progress and change with age. Dress a little more professional. I dont agree with it being a legal issue. But people should be outed and embarrassed in public for looking this way.

My understanding is that this look originated in the American prison system. The inmates would sag their pants and expose their backside to communicate that they were available for sex. Somehow, the outside world confused the message and interpreted it as outlaw, hyper masculinity. Like the do-rag. I have thought to launch a market campaign against this atrocity (and it is an atrocity) because I believe that the younger sect would stop doing it if they knew the origination.

Scott, this not an issue of fashion. It is most truly an issue of identity. For men, dressing is most about archetypes. Saggin’ is a social identifier for men (especially Black men) of the city, of hip hop and those who would like to be–the gangster hip hop archetype circa 1996, approx. Our men whether young or old, have an identity issue. You might as well ask men in Maine to not wear plaid or L.L.Bean.

I would question the woman that chooses to spend her time with a slob like this. His outfit is ridiculous and screams “please don’t take me seriously because I don’t even take myself or life seriously.”

If I walked past him on the street my automatic reaction would be to distance myself.